GUS: a huge decline in the number of hospitalizations in 2020

In Poland, at the end of 2020, there were 898 inpatient general hospitals, by 0.9%. more than a year ago, and 208 day hospitals (so-called hospitals in one day), by 7.6 percent. less than in 2019. They had a total of 167.8 thous. beds (as of December 31), by 0.3 percent. (by 580 beds) more than in the corresponding period of the previous year - we read in the GUS report. In the first year of the pandemic, there were more hospitals and hospital beds, but what draws special attention is the shrinking potential of one-day hospitals, although for years there has been talk of the need to shift the focus from inpatient hospitals to other forms of treatment, including outpatient clinics and where it is necessary for the patient to stay under control for several (teen) hours, precisely in one-day hospitals.

The number of beds in inpatient hospitals per 10 thous. the country's population was 43.8 beds in 2020 (as of December 31). There was an average of 228 inhabitants per bed, by two people less than in 2020 (so there was an increase in the number of beds, despite the fact that Poland has one of the highest rates of the number of beds per population size, and this is considered one of the factors exacerbating the problem of cost intensity. health care system). The largest increase in the number of beds in general hospitals per 10,000 of inhabitants occurred in the following voivodeships: lubelskie (3.9), podlaskie (2.9), lubuskie (2.1) and opolskie (2.1), and a decrease in the following voivodeships: podkarpackie (1.3) and śląskie (1.1) and the Kuyavian-Pomeranian region (1,1). Taking into account the absolute number of beds in general hospitals, the highest increase was recorded in the Lubelskie voivodship (by 754 beds more), and the highest decrease in the Śląskie voivodship (by 619 beds less). 28 percent of all beds in public hospitals in Poland were (and are) in the Mazowieckie (24.3 thousand beds) and Śląskie (22.7 thousand beds) voivodships. The smallest voivodships in terms of the number of inhabitants, such as the voivodships: Lubuskie and Opolskie, had a total of 4.9%. beds in general hospitals in the country (Lubuskie - 4.2 thousand beds and Opolskie - 4.0 thousand).

In the statistics, the Central Statistical Office does not include hospitals created to combat COVID-19, primarily because although the decision to create them was made in 2020, they actually started operating only in 2021 - the Central Statistical Office only mentions that according to as of December 31, 2020, there were 15 such institutions. However, in the first year of the pandemic, the burden of fighting COVID-19 fell on hospitals that were transformed from general hospitals into single-name hospitals. What were the consequences for the healthcare system, hospitals and patients?

5.7 million patients were hospitalized in general hospitals in 2020. This means a decrease by 23.2 percent compared to 2019. 1.7 million people were treated in hospitals less than a year earlier (although the data also includes hospitalizations due to COVID-19, numerically significant, especially in the last quarter of 2020). For 10 thousand. There were 1,495 hospitalizations of residents, i.e. 450 less compared to 2019. In terms of voivodships, the indicator of the number of hospitalized persons per population size decreased in all voivodships. The highest decrease was recorded in the following voivodships: Łódzkie (by 560), Świętokrzyskie (by 545), Mazowieckie (by 532), Lubelskie (by 522) and the lowest in Pomorskie (by 178 less).

The average use of beds during the year is also noteworthy. In 2020, this ratio for all general hospitals in Poland was 55.0%. and was by 14.2 percentage points. lower than in 2019. It was lower in all voivodships, the highest decrease in the use of hospital beds was recorded in the following voivodships: Opolskie (by 19.7 percentage points), Świętokrzyskie (by 18.6 percentage points) and Warmińsko-Mazurskie (by 16.6 percentage points). The highest rate of the use of beds was recorded in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship (60.2%) and it was by 11.3 percentage points. lower than in 2019. The lowest rate was recorded in the following voivodeships: Warmińsko-Mazurskie (50.3%, 16.6 pp less) and Śląskie (50.6%, 14.8 pp less ). - In typical conditions of health care functioning, it is assumed that the use of hospital beds at the level of 85 percent. is the optimal value of this indicator - emphasize the authors of the report.